View From Above

So many others have suffered infinitely more than I. I almost feel guilty to acknowledge any pain in my life as, comparatively, my challenges must be small.But that is the point. Trouble is not relative. When assault comes, it wants to completely overwhelm us. It desires to make us believe that all is lost and will never be regained. Even the stubbing of a little toe commands all our attention, to the point of distracting and even discouraging us.

I have wondered why there seems to be a natural tendency for the victim of the tiniest tragedy to curse. In a real sense, we would have to say that, by definition, to utter profanities is to shout at God our displeasure, faulting Him for allowing—nay, even causing—the hurtful thing to happen.

But God’s love is constant, consistent, pure and true, never wavering. He exists for us in our every moment. Just like the little child toddling into obstacles and falling down, we can’t see what the father—earthly or heavenly—can see. If we knew what those caring for us knew, we would undoubtedly see to avoid much of the tragedy that befalls us.

But, alas, there’s the rub, as Shakespeare would say. We think our salvation will come from exerting our energies even more on the entanglements of this world, when the Father knows the opposite is true. So many paradigms, paradoxes – to give is better than to receive, to surrender is more powerful than to engage the enemy. In our case, as mere mortals, another adage comes to mind: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

The solution is in how to direct our going. The strongest thing we can do is to look up, not around us. Our greatest power comes from being able to surrender in those horrific moments. Not to give in to the evil about us, but to put it all into the hands of the One who would do our battle for us.

We are often like cartoon characters who fight the air. Our real foe is of the air; our foe is God’s foe. We cannot overcome his machinations with the pounding of our fists, especially not when they are aimed at our God.When we realize this, realize we are not battling flesh and blood, then we can release the situation to God who stands ready to defeat our enemy.

So, cry out TO God when you are assailed by disaster, big or small. That empowers God. In our calling out, let us acknowledge, thank God for all He has already accomplished on our behalf. Our gratitude brings us into the peace of His presence, while it releases His full strength—not ours—to rectify the wrongs in our lives.I guess that by surrendering the situation, we are drawn into God’s omnipotent presence. We can even see the offenses through His eyes. The more we draw near, the better we can see from His perspective.Most of the times this does not change the circumstances, but, better yet, changes our view of it. We are no longer under, but actually above what had threatened to overwhelm us. Look up. Your redemption draws nigh. 

- Shari

(originally written on May 6, 2016)